Cup holders provide great convenience to motor vehicle users, providing a receiver for containers such as cups, glasses, etc. whereby the user need not continually hold the container in her hand to avoid spillage during motor vehicle operation. The typical cup holder provides at least a receiver configured to receive and hold a container such as a beverage container. That receiver may include a structure for reducing or preventing slippage or vibration of a container held therein, being as simple as one or more rubber pads or more complex designs. For example, it is known in the art to use biasable mechanical fingers to reduce or prevent container slippage or vibration. Typically 3-4 fingers are used to ensure a snug fit.
It is known also to provide cup holders in a variety of designs and configurations, including cup holder structures 10 having doors 12 which can be translated between an open and a closed configuration (see FIGS. 1A and 1B), to reveal or hide one or more beverage container receivers 14. When closed, such doors 12 provide a smooth façade often blending in with the trim of the portion of the vehicle wherein the cup holder structure 10 is disposed. Modern motor vehicles may include cup holders in a variety of locations, including the dash panel, doors, center consoles, and others.
Conventional cup holder structures require space within the vehicle console, etc., in order to provide space and/or clearance for structures such as translatable doors and multiple mechanical fingers for reducing vibration/rattle that are capable of holding containers of differing dimensions. Cup holders including doors or covers often require additional clearance and/or space within the vehicle to accommodate the mechanism for actuating the door and the mechanical fingers. However, space is at a premium in the modern motor vehicle due to the assortment of other optional and/or required devices intended to provide safety, informational, and convenience factors to the user. It may be undesirable or impractical to allot otherwise usable space to a cup holder structure.
To solve this and other problems, the present disclosure relates to a cup holder assembly for installation in a vehicle. The cup holder assembly includes a cover or door that is configured to be translated between an open and a closed configuration. Advantageously, the disclosed cup holder assembly provides a receiver including retaining members for accommodating containers of a variety of dimensions, while presenting a relatively low profile and occupying less space in the vehicle console, door, etc. than conventional covered cup holder designs.